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California Wildfires
Aired October 27, 2003 - 12:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It is unfortunately getting worse in southern California. Winds are kicking up again, fanning the fires in San Bernardino and San Diego areas. Flames are now jumping freeways and threatening even more homes. Thousands of people have evacuated. More than a dozen have died.
Jeff Flock is in Escondido, north of San Diego. He joins us now live.
Jeff -- what can you tell us from where you are?
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, this is some of what the fire has wrought. This is some of the scorched earth that was left behind here. This is the Paradise fire, one of the three major fires burning in and around San Diego. Some of the flames are still left here.
This one, only about a 15,000-acre fire, but throughout all of San Diego County, we're looking at this point, they tell us, about 150,000 acres now involved in flames.
I want to show you some of the latest pictures. We are at now, according to San Diego sheriff's police, about 450 structures destroyed. That is, they think, about 200 homes.
Now, one possible good thing to report today, this is based on a briefing that the local fire commanders just had dealing with San Diego County, is if you can see back live here perhaps the kind of smoke that is wafting up here. You talked about the winds picking up somewhat to the north. Here, though, fairly calm. What they say is that the ash that is in the air -- and I don't know if you're able to see the tree -- or see the sun up through, just coming up now. It's been up for a while, but it's actually very difficult to see -- a very odd color, because of all of that ash.
Because of the ash, it has kept the temperature on the ground down. A temperature lower on the ground, just like overnight, cooler means less wind, so there was not a great amount of wind overnight. And right now, not a whole lot of wind here in Escondido. They say it certainly could pick up as the day wears on. But at this point, some positive news. And, of course, as those who forecast the weather have pointed out, if get past today, maybe we're past the worst.
So, some hopeful things to report here in Escondido, as you report, north of San Diego -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Jeff Flock, thanks so very much. And we do want to go now to Miguel Marquez. He is east of Los Angeles in a place called Devore, California, giving us an update from there -- Miguel.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Devore, a place called Devore is under attack. Again, I talked to a fire official a little while ago, and he said they no longer feel like we're going to work in the morning. It feels like we're going to war.
Devore is right behind me. This is part of the Old Fire. The Old Fire and the Grand Prix Fire out here east of Los Angeles have now grown together into one enormous fire complex. What we are seeing here are the winds coming down this mountain and pushing this fire back onto the town of Devore. I understand homes -- even though you can't see it -- are on fire behind us. There are helicopters working that area, which is dangerous work for helicopters because of the heavy smoke and winds.
I also want to tell you about Simi Valley, which is northwest of where we are. It has crossed a major freeway there, 118, which was a major fire line for firefighters as well. And that complicates the work for firefighters, because they now have to try to control that blaze. On the south side of 118, it has burned into Corgan Bill Regional Park (ph), which is an area where many films have been made.
And maybe the most significant piece of this puzzle is that it is now one-half mile from the city of Los Angeles itself. The town of Chatsworth is the first town in the city of Los Angeles. It is one- half mile from there.
I talked to a PIO a short time ago. He said the wind is blowing southward in Simi Valley at this point, which is keeping that fire moving south and not toward Los Angeles. But the concern is that the wind is then going to shift to an easterly breeze as that ocean breeze starts to come in and starts to move that fire toward Los Angeles itself.
That fire official also said there is heavy fuels, as they call it, about 10 years' worth of growth, chaparral brush and dry brush in that area between Ventura County and Los Angeles County, in the city of Los Angeles, where it all begins. And then, you have the extremely heavily-populated areas of Chatsworth.
Now, if we come back here live to Devore, you might be able to see one of the big helicopters here flying in and out of this blaze trying to fight this thing. We understand from a public information officer on the scene here that at least two more houses were on fire here in Devore a short time ago. Four houses here burned overnight. And as this one guy told me this morning, it feels like an absolute war out here -- Daryn.
COLLINS: It's actually Heidi today for you, Miguel. But I do have a quick question.
MARQUEZ: Oh, Heidi, sorry. COLLINS: That's all right. No problem. I just want to ask you, I know you've been covering this thing from the very beginning, and if' you've had a chance to talk with firefighters about how they're fighting this thing, do they do any brush clearing in this area? Or has it kind of overgrown to the point where that is also with the winds fueling these flames?
MARQUEZ: Yes. Well, it's -- every single fire -- we're talking about 10 fires. Every single one is a little bit different. Certainly, in the neighborhoods, they try to sort of abate as many weeds and trees and old, dead growth as much as they can. That's certainly not the case everywhere. The Grand Prix Fire, which was moving west toward Los Angeles, has kind of stalled out, because there was a fire that burned about a year ago in that area. So, it's hit that area, and it's really slowed it down quite a bit.
The other fire were talking about, the Simi Valley Fire, it's moving south along the border of Ventura County and the city of Los Angeles. And just east of there, there is a ton of old growth and brush that hasn't been cleared out in 10 years.
So, obviously, if it hits that, and the wind conditions come on the right way, we could have even a more serious situation. I don't how more serious we can say a serious situation is -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Understood. Incredibly difficult to keep our finger on top of. But I also want to ask you about suspects. Now, we know that authorities are trying to track down two suspects. Any idea about their progress and what those charges may be?
MARQUEZ: Yes, the two suspects are for the Old Fire, the fire that's sort of burning behind me. There was a report of these two people who were lighting something and throwing it in the brush along the side of a road here a couple of days ago, and they believe that they may have been responsible for this fire.
Two people died during the course of this fire from stress- related causes. So, if those people are caught and charged with arson, they may also be charged with murder -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Miguel Marquez, thanks so very much for the update from where you are.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
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Aired October 27, 2003 - 12:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It is unfortunately getting worse in southern California. Winds are kicking up again, fanning the fires in San Bernardino and San Diego areas. Flames are now jumping freeways and threatening even more homes. Thousands of people have evacuated. More than a dozen have died.
Jeff Flock is in Escondido, north of San Diego. He joins us now live.
Jeff -- what can you tell us from where you are?
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, this is some of what the fire has wrought. This is some of the scorched earth that was left behind here. This is the Paradise fire, one of the three major fires burning in and around San Diego. Some of the flames are still left here.
This one, only about a 15,000-acre fire, but throughout all of San Diego County, we're looking at this point, they tell us, about 150,000 acres now involved in flames.
I want to show you some of the latest pictures. We are at now, according to San Diego sheriff's police, about 450 structures destroyed. That is, they think, about 200 homes.
Now, one possible good thing to report today, this is based on a briefing that the local fire commanders just had dealing with San Diego County, is if you can see back live here perhaps the kind of smoke that is wafting up here. You talked about the winds picking up somewhat to the north. Here, though, fairly calm. What they say is that the ash that is in the air -- and I don't know if you're able to see the tree -- or see the sun up through, just coming up now. It's been up for a while, but it's actually very difficult to see -- a very odd color, because of all of that ash.
Because of the ash, it has kept the temperature on the ground down. A temperature lower on the ground, just like overnight, cooler means less wind, so there was not a great amount of wind overnight. And right now, not a whole lot of wind here in Escondido. They say it certainly could pick up as the day wears on. But at this point, some positive news. And, of course, as those who forecast the weather have pointed out, if get past today, maybe we're past the worst.
So, some hopeful things to report here in Escondido, as you report, north of San Diego -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Jeff Flock, thanks so very much. And we do want to go now to Miguel Marquez. He is east of Los Angeles in a place called Devore, California, giving us an update from there -- Miguel.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Devore, a place called Devore is under attack. Again, I talked to a fire official a little while ago, and he said they no longer feel like we're going to work in the morning. It feels like we're going to war.
Devore is right behind me. This is part of the Old Fire. The Old Fire and the Grand Prix Fire out here east of Los Angeles have now grown together into one enormous fire complex. What we are seeing here are the winds coming down this mountain and pushing this fire back onto the town of Devore. I understand homes -- even though you can't see it -- are on fire behind us. There are helicopters working that area, which is dangerous work for helicopters because of the heavy smoke and winds.
I also want to tell you about Simi Valley, which is northwest of where we are. It has crossed a major freeway there, 118, which was a major fire line for firefighters as well. And that complicates the work for firefighters, because they now have to try to control that blaze. On the south side of 118, it has burned into Corgan Bill Regional Park (ph), which is an area where many films have been made.
And maybe the most significant piece of this puzzle is that it is now one-half mile from the city of Los Angeles itself. The town of Chatsworth is the first town in the city of Los Angeles. It is one- half mile from there.
I talked to a PIO a short time ago. He said the wind is blowing southward in Simi Valley at this point, which is keeping that fire moving south and not toward Los Angeles. But the concern is that the wind is then going to shift to an easterly breeze as that ocean breeze starts to come in and starts to move that fire toward Los Angeles itself.
That fire official also said there is heavy fuels, as they call it, about 10 years' worth of growth, chaparral brush and dry brush in that area between Ventura County and Los Angeles County, in the city of Los Angeles, where it all begins. And then, you have the extremely heavily-populated areas of Chatsworth.
Now, if we come back here live to Devore, you might be able to see one of the big helicopters here flying in and out of this blaze trying to fight this thing. We understand from a public information officer on the scene here that at least two more houses were on fire here in Devore a short time ago. Four houses here burned overnight. And as this one guy told me this morning, it feels like an absolute war out here -- Daryn.
COLLINS: It's actually Heidi today for you, Miguel. But I do have a quick question.
MARQUEZ: Oh, Heidi, sorry. COLLINS: That's all right. No problem. I just want to ask you, I know you've been covering this thing from the very beginning, and if' you've had a chance to talk with firefighters about how they're fighting this thing, do they do any brush clearing in this area? Or has it kind of overgrown to the point where that is also with the winds fueling these flames?
MARQUEZ: Yes. Well, it's -- every single fire -- we're talking about 10 fires. Every single one is a little bit different. Certainly, in the neighborhoods, they try to sort of abate as many weeds and trees and old, dead growth as much as they can. That's certainly not the case everywhere. The Grand Prix Fire, which was moving west toward Los Angeles, has kind of stalled out, because there was a fire that burned about a year ago in that area. So, it's hit that area, and it's really slowed it down quite a bit.
The other fire were talking about, the Simi Valley Fire, it's moving south along the border of Ventura County and the city of Los Angeles. And just east of there, there is a ton of old growth and brush that hasn't been cleared out in 10 years.
So, obviously, if it hits that, and the wind conditions come on the right way, we could have even a more serious situation. I don't how more serious we can say a serious situation is -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Understood. Incredibly difficult to keep our finger on top of. But I also want to ask you about suspects. Now, we know that authorities are trying to track down two suspects. Any idea about their progress and what those charges may be?
MARQUEZ: Yes, the two suspects are for the Old Fire, the fire that's sort of burning behind me. There was a report of these two people who were lighting something and throwing it in the brush along the side of a road here a couple of days ago, and they believe that they may have been responsible for this fire.
Two people died during the course of this fire from stress- related causes. So, if those people are caught and charged with arson, they may also be charged with murder -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Miguel Marquez, thanks so very much for the update from where you are.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
c
